MPM is one of my take-to-a-desert-island authors whether she’s
writing as Elizabeth Peters or Barbara Michaels. Her books never fail to entertain and
intrigue. Naked Once More is one of the
best as is evidenced by it’s winning the Agatha Award in 1989. It comes as close to pure mystery as anything
she writes and it’s wildly entertaining.
Jacqueline Kirby is in her fourth outing in this book. She’s
become a famous writer of romance novels which she feels are complete rubbish
but pay the bills. She’s flamboyant,
extravagant, stubborn and has a great sense of humor. In Naked Once More, her manager takes her to
lunch to tell her that he is retiring and also that a sequel is being planned
to one of the most famous books published in recent history. It was a book called Naked in the Ice and the
author, Kathleen Darcy, disappeared mysteriously 7 years ago. The courts have finally declared her dead and
her family is looking for someone to write the sequel. It’s all about money.
Though there are a number of authors vying for the job,
Jacquelyn does get it and moves to the small town where Darcy lived and where
her family still lives. Mysterious
events begin which make her and the readers realize that all is not as it
seems.
A lot of time is spent dealing with the difficulties of
being an author and the oddities of the publishing industry. I did wonder if the issues surrounding the
problems of writers were autobiographical.
That writers are compelled to write, no matter what the circumstances,
certainly is a theme of this book.
Through the entire book, homage is paid to many other
mystery writers. That’s always fun to
see. It has great pacing, the story keeps moving forward and you are drawn
along through the mystery with never a dull moment. The characters are interesting and
distinctive. Her descriptions bring
everything to life. There is a feel to
an MPM novel that is distinctive and you would know you were reading one even
if you didn’t see the name on the cover.
Elizabeth Peters just knows how
to make a book fun to read.
I received this copy through Netgalley and I appreciated the
opportunity to give it an honest review.
Agatha Award winner from 1989
